Exercise Recliner

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to an exercise recliner and in particular a recliner chair that conceals an exercise device. An exercise recliner is provided which includes a recliner chair and an exercise device. The exercise device is mounted to a movable and extendable frame that is associated with a power mechanism, an actuating mechanism and a locking mechanism allowing the exercise device to be moved rectilinearly between an extended position and a retracted position.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an exercise recliner, and inparticular a recliner chair that conceals an exercise device.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

In recent years, it has become more popular to exercise and as such thenumber of fitness centers and fitness equipment available on the markethas greatly increased. This trend may be in response to the numerousstudies promoting the significant benefits that can be achieved fromundertaking physical activity on a regular basis. Despite the existenceof this trend to be physically active and participate in physicalactivity, good intentions often cannot be reconciled with people's busylives. There are a number of reasons why people quit exercising. Oftenthere is not enough time in a day to visit a gym or fitness center, andthe repetition required while exercising can be boring anduncomfortable. In addition to time constraints, people who want topartake in home exercise programs find that the limited space availablein the home often can impact negatively on carrying out a home exerciseprogram.

In order to address these problems, companies have begun manufacturingexercise equipment that can be used efficiently in the home. However,more often than not, home exercise equipment is not only expensive topurchase but also takes up a significant amount of space to house. Thus,people who decide to begin a home exercise regime must have or createadditional space in their house, condo or apartment where they can storethe exercise equipment. Housing the particular piece of exerciseequipment more often than not detracts from the decor of the users home.Furthermore, should the owner of the exercise equipment tire of usingthe particular piece of equipment, or become physically unable to do so,the owner will have no other use for that piece of equipment and musteither dispose of it or store it.

In an effort to provide home exercise equipment that is not bulky,cumbersome or intrusive, much has been developed in terms of collapsibleexercising apparatus. However, prior art collapsible exercise equipmenthas not been satisfactory in that they are unattractive, serve a singlepurpose, and must be stored out-of the way when the room is being usedfor every day living.

In an attempt to solve the shortcomings associated with collapsibleexercise equipment, furniture and exercise equipment manufacturers beganmanufacturing exercise equipment which can be stored in a piece offurniture or which is incorporated in a piece of furniture. However,many prior art exercise devices incorporated with a piece of furniturewere neither attractive nor easy to use.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,649 issued on Jun. 12, 1973 to Millerfor “Combined Chair and Exercising Device” discloses a combined chairand exercise device, which has the exercise equipment mounted to aplatform in a space beneath the seat portion of the chair. Although thiscombined chair and exercise device is more convenient than mostcollapsible exercise equipment, this chair and exercise device requiresthe user to first get up off the chair, pull out the platform onto whichthe exercise device is mounted and then position and lock the exerciseplatform into position before beginning their exercise routine. Thisoperation is both cumbersome and time-consuming and compromises the easeof use of the equipment, especially for seniors.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,963 issued on Jul. 13, 1976 to Sileo for “Chair-TypeBicycle Exercise Device” discloses a combined chair and exercise device,which has the exercise device mounted to a frame that is elongated andattached to the underneath of the seat by a track so that the frame canbe hidden under the seat when not in use but can be extended outward tothe front of the chair when in use. As stated above, the disadvantage ofthis combined chair and exercise device is that the user must get offthe chair to pull the exercise device from beneath the seat of the chairand then the user must sit on the seat of the chair before they canadjust the pedals of the exercise device. Also, the exercise device isnot mounted on a platform to provide the needed stability. Using thisexercise device is a time consuming process and limits the convenienceof the equipment.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,247 issued on May 1, 1990 to Sterling for “ExerciseChair” discloses a chair with a multitude of exercising devicesincorporated into the back, arms, side panels and beneath the chair.Contrary to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,738,649 and 3,968,963, Sterling's“Exerciser Chair” does not require the user get off the chair in orderto begin their exercise routine. However, in order to use the exercisedevice, the user must pull on the handle to move the band ring whichsimultaneously moves the telescoping frame in or out from underneath thechair exposing the exercise device that is mounted on a platform.Although, this type of exercise apparatus is more practical than theexercise devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,738,649 and 3,968,963, itstill has its disadvantages. Firstly, the user must manually pull on thehandle in order to expose the exercise device as well as lock or latchthe exercise device into a particular position. Manually pulling on thehandle while remaining seated on the chair requires a certain amount ofupper body strength and coordination that may prove to be difficult fora segment of the population, especially seniors, or individuals withlittle or no upper body strength. Also, the location of the handlerequires the user, while seated on the chair, to reach over the side ofthe chair in order to pull on the handle. Once again, this may bedifficult and may result in the user leaning off the seat of the chairto locate and adjust the exercise device. Furthermore, this type ofchair does not include a reclining mechanism or footrest and would notbe practical if combined to a recliner chair comprising a footrest.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,298 issued on Nov. 28, 1995 to Curtis for “ExerciseApparatus” discloses an exercise apparatus comprising a chair, anarm-exercising station, and a leg exercising station. The leg exercisingstation is mounted within the footrest portion of the chair and includesan elongated support bar. The lower end of the support bar is positionedto engage the floor surface when the footrest is fully extended. One ofthe disadvantages of this exercise device is while it is stated that theuser can set up the exercise equipment while seated on the seat of thechair, it does not appear to be practical. The set up process istime-consuming, awkward and physically demanding for the user. In orderto use the leg exercising station, the user must extend the footrest,open the footrest to expose the leg exercising apparatus, position thelower end of the support bar on the floor and then adjust the height ofthe upper end of the support bar to adjust the position of the legexercising station. Furthermore, once the footrest is extended and thefootrest is opened to expose the exercise device, the footrest portionson either side of the leg exercise device may be in the way of the useras they are exercising. In addition, the support structure may not besufficiently stable to support the weight of the user while using theexercise device.

Many users, including the elderly and disabled, may be incapable of thephysical actions required to put the prior art exercise devices inposition for use. Because of these limitations, in that they require theuser to bend, stoop, lift, or otherwise awkwardly exert themselves inorder to expose or access the normally concealed exercise device, thereis a need for an improved exercise device.

The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art byproviding an exercise recliner comprising in combination a reclinerchair and exercise device concealed beneath the seat of the recliner foruse by a user without needing to get off the chair to personalize theexercise device for use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise reclinerwhich doubles as a useful piece of furniture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an exerciserecliner that is more easily and conveniently set-up or placed inposition or condition for use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an exerciserecliner that can be used without requiring the user to performtime-consuming, cumbersome, and awkward set-up procedures, or requirethe user to kneel, lift, pull or undertake other physically demandingtasks to prepare the exercise device for use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an exerciserecliner in which the footrest can be used as a conventional footrestwhen the exercise recliner is being used as a recliner or as astabilizing platform when the exercise recliner is being used forexercise.

In accordance with these and other objects flowing from the followingdescription of the present invention, an exercise recliner is providedwhich broadly comprises a chair having a back panel, a seat, arms, frontlegs, back legs, a pair of side panels, an open space beneath the seat,a footrest having a top surface, an under surface, a top edge, a loweredge, and two side edges and an exercise device. An extendable footrestsupport structure coupled to a securing mechanism connects the reclinerchair to the footrest at the lower edge of the footrest. The footrestsupport structure is conventionally extendable so as to position thefootrest in an extended position and retractable so as to position thefootrest in a non-extended position. The securing mechanism coupled tothe footrest support structure also allows the footrest to pivotdownwards as the exercise device is moved out from the space beneath theseat of the recliner chair. When the exercise device when it is in anextended position, the footrest acts as a stabilizing platform. Inanother embodiment, the footrest can be removably detached from therecliner chair and moved out of the way or may open outwardly to theleft or the right or may open like a double door when the footrest is ina non-extendable position.

The exercise device of the present invention is mounted to a movable andextendable frame. The movable and extendable frame is attached to asupport mechanism located underneath the recliner chair. The frameextends from underneath the seat of the recliner chair. Attached to thesupport is a power mechanism, an actuating mechanism associated withsaid power mechanism and a locking mechanism associated with theactuating mechansim allowing the extendable frame to be moved and lockedin different positions to personalize the settings of the exercisedevice.

The movable and extendable frame may include in one embodiment a pair offloor supports. The floor supports are adapted to unfold so as to extendbetween the exercise device and an underlying floor surface when theframe is extended and to fold and retract into the underneath of therecliner chair.

The exercise recliner of the present invention also has a control unitthat in one embodiment is connected to the motor through a suitablecable. In another embodiment, the control unit may be wireless. Thecontrol unit may be sized for hand held use, or alternatively may beattached to one of the arms of the recliner chair or incorporated to oneof the arms of the chair. The control unit will provide the circuitryand components necessary to move the movable and extendable frame in andout from beneath the exercise recliner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an exerciserecliner in which an actuating mechanism is coupled to a power mechanismand whereby a user by using the control unit may easily and convenientlymove an exercise device mounted to a movable and extendable frame in andout from the open space underneath the seat of the exercise recliner.

The exercise device of the present invention is a pedaling system. Thepedaling system includes pedals that are configured for rotationalmovement about an axis. The pedaling system may also include a dampeningmechanism that can be adjusted by the user to set the desired resistanceand thereby vary the desired level of difficulty of exercise. Thepedaling system may also include a display unit that displaysinformation of interest to the user, such as the energy burned(calories), the distance traveled, and the user's heart rate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following, more particularly, thedescription of the preferred embodiments of the invention, asillustrated in the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the exercise recliner with the exercise devicein a stored position;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the exercise recliner with the exercise devicein an extended position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the exercise recliner with the exercise devicein a store position and the chair in a reclined position;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the exercise recliner in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the exercise recliner in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pedaling system in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, and particularly FIG. 1, an exerciserecliner (10) constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment isillustrated. The exercise recliner (10) broadly includes a reclinerchair (12) and an exercise device (50). The person skilled in the artwill understand that “recliner chair” (12) is used in the broadest senseand is meant to include recliner loveseats and recliner sofas.

As shown in FIG. 1, a recliner type chair (12) is illustrated as havinga frame (9), a back panel (11), a seat (not shown), arms (14) and (15),front legs (16) and back legs (17), a footrest (18) having a top surface(19), an under surface (20), a top edge (21), a lower edge (22) and twoside edges (23). The recliner chair (12) also has a pair of side panels(24). A recliner handle (not shown) is located on one side panel (24) ofthe recliner chair (12). An extendable footrest support structure (26)connects the recliner chair (12) to the footrest (18). As seen in FIG.3, the footrest support structure (26) may be selectively extended to aforward position through conventional means by pulling on the reclinerhandle (not shown) as provided in a conventional recliner chair (12).The footrest support structure (26) may be selectively retracted to anon-extended position by pulling on the recliner handle (not shown) inthe opposite direction as provided in a conventional recliner chair(12).

In another embodiment, the footrest (18) may be detached from therecliner chair (12) and moved out of the way by the user when thefootrest is in the non-extended position. Alternatively, the footrest(18) may have hinges at one of its side edges (23) so that it pivotoutwardly to the right or left when the footrest (18) is in anon-extended position. Also, the footrest (18) may have hinges locatedat the center of the top surface (19) such that it opens like a doubledoor when the footrest (18) is in a non-extendable position.

Beneath the seat (not shown), the recliner chair (12) has an open space(8), which receives the exercise device (50) when the recliner chair(12) is in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 1. In the retractedposition, the back panel (11), footrest (18) and side panels (21) of therecliner chair (12) completely conceal the exercise device (50).

The footrest support structure (26) is also attached to a securingmechanism (7) at its lower edge (22) at the under surface (20) of thefootrest (18), which allows the footrest (18) to pivot downwards as theexercise device (50) is moved out from the open space (8) beneath seat(not shown) as shown in FIG. 2. The securing mechanism (7) can be forexample, hinges, latches, screws or rivets or any other suitablefastener. In one embodiment, the securing mechanism is a pair of hingedlids located at the lower edge (22) of the under surface (20) of thefootrest (18), which permits the footrest (18) to pivot downwards as theexercise device (50) is moved out from the open space (8) beneath theseat (not shown) of the recliner chair (12). Attached to the hinged lidsis a spring that ensures the footrest (18) can return to its originalposition as shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 6, the exercise device (50) is mounted on a movableextendable frame (30). The movable extendable frame (30) consists of apair of track assemblies (31) that extend along the sides (6) of therecliner chair (12) between the back legs (17) and the front legs (16)of the recliner chair (12) to allow the exercise device (50) to be movedrectilinearly between an extended position and a retracted position.These track assemblies (31) are of the same type as commonly used forfull-suspension filing cabinet drawers. In one embodiment, the trackassemblies may consists of a telescoping frame, telescoping into aframe. In another embodiment, the track assemblies may be a chainmechanism or belt mechanism. The frame (30) has a first end (32) and asecond end (33). The frame (30) is fastened at its first end (32) to asupport (34) located at the rear of the recliner chair (12). The support(34) is attached to the underneath of the recliner chair (12) betweenthe two back legs (17) by hinges, screws, latches, rivets or othersuitable fasteners. Attached to the support (34) is a power mechanism(25) comprising a motor (35), which in turn is connected to a gear andpulley system (36). The person skilled in the art will understand thatthe power mechanism may be mechanical or powered by an electrical powersource, a battery power source or controlled by any other type ofpropulsion mechanism. In one embodiment, the motor (35) and gear andpulley system (36) are powered either by a battery or connected by asuitable cable (not shown) having a plug (not shown) at its free end toa power outlet (not shown).

In one embodiment, cross-member bars (60) are attached to the underneathof the recliner chair (12) extending from one side (6) to the other side(6) of the recliner chair (12). The support (34) and the cross-memberbars (60) form the non-moving foundation of the exercise recliner (10).

Attached to the gear and pulley system (36) is an actuating mechanism(39) that moves the frame (30) forward or backward from an extendedposition to a retracted position. In one embodiment, the actuatingmechanism (39) is a threaded rod (40). The threaded rod has a first end(41) and a second end (42). The first end (41) of the threaded rod (40)is coupled to the gear and pulley system (36). The second end (42) ofthe threaded rod (40) is inserted into a locking mechanism (44) and intoa threaded rod guide (43) located at the second end (33) of the frame(30). In one embodiment, the locking mechanism (44) is a nut. When themotor (35) and the gear and pulley system (36) are engaged, the threadedrod (40) turns and moves the frame (30) in or out from beneath the seatof the recliner chair.

In one embodiment, a control unit (70) is connected to the motor (35)through a suitable cable (71) and an output cable (72) having aconventional plug (73) at its end is connected to the motor (35), whichin turn is connected to an electrical power source (not shown). Inanother embodiment, the control unit may be wireless. The control unit(70) may be sized for hand-held use, or alternatively, it may beattached to one of the arms (14) (15) of the recliner chair (12). In anyevent, the control unit (70) will provide the circuitry and componentsnecessary to take advantage of the operational control capabilities ofthe exercise recliner (10). In one embodiment, the control unit (70) hasa button or switch that a user presses which in turn engages theactuating mechanism (39) to move the frame (30) in or out from beneaththe exercise recliner (10). As the frame (30) moves forward from beneaththe seat (not shown) of the recliner chair (12), the footrest (18)pivots downwards so that the frame (30) and exercise device (50) canextend over the under surface (20) of the footrest (18). In thisposition the under surface (20) of the footrest (18) acts as astabilizing platform for the exercise device (50).

In one embodiment, also located at the second end (33) of extendableframe (30) and proximal to the exercise device is a pair of floorsupports (61). The floor support (61) has a first end (62) that ispivotally attached to the second end (33) of the frame (30) by a hinge(64). The floor support (61) has a second end (63) adapted to touch thefloor or surface on which the recliner chair (12) rests and thereby actsto assist in supporting and stabilizing the weight of the exercisedevice (50) on the floor. The second end (63) of the floor support (61)is preferably shaped in a manner that widely and evenly distributes anypressure transferred through the floor supports to the floor.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first pivot point (62) of the floor support (61)is connected to the second end (33) of the frame (30) and the two arealigned and cooperate such that the floor support (61) unfold andextends to the floor when the extendable frame (30) is extended and thefloor supports (61) folds and retracts back underneath the seat (notshown) of the recliner chair (12) when the frame (30) is retracted. Thelocation of the floor supports (61) on the floor will vary depending onsuch factors as the length of the user's legs and desired position ofthe frame (30) when it is extended.

In one embodiment, the exercise device (50) mounted to the frame (30) isa pedaling system including pedals (51) that are configured forrotational movement about an axis. The pedaling system (50) preferablyincludes a dampening mechanism (52) for adjusting the rotationalmovement of the pedals (51). The dampening mechanism (52) may be forexample, a conventional mechanical brake including a friction pad, bandor other suitable resistance mechanism. The dampening mechanism (52) canbe adjusted by the user to set the desired level of resistance andthereby vary the desired level of difficulty of exercise. The pedalingsystem (50) preferably also includes a display unit (53) that displaysinformation of interest to the user, such as the energy burned(calories), the distance traveled and the user's heart rate.

In use, the exercise recliner (10) allows the user to exercise his orher legs. The user merely positions himself in the recliner chair (12),engages the control unit (70) button, which causes the power mechanismto engage the actuating mechanism (39), which causes the frame (30) tobegin moving forward out from the underneath the seat (not shown)causing the footrest (18) to pivot downwards. When the desired positionof the frame (30) is reached, the user releases the control unit (70)button and the locking mechanism (44) locks the frame (30) in position.The exercise device (50) is ready to be used. To return to a reclinerposition, the user once again engages the control unit (70) button,which cause the motor (35) and gear pulley system (36) to engage theactuating mechanism (39), which causes in the frame (30) to move in thereverse direction until the exercise device (50) is back underneath theseat (not shown) of the recliner chair (12). When the exercise device(50) is back underneath the seat (not shown) of the recliner chair (12),the footrest (18) pivots back to its original position and the exercisedevice (50) is concealed from view.

1. An exercise recliner comprising in combination: a chair having a backpanel, a seat, arms, front legs, back legs, a pair of side panels, anopen space beneath the seat, and a footrest having a top surface, anunder surface, a top edge, a lower edge and two side edges, a footrestsupport structure that is selectively extendable to position to footrestin a forward position and a retractable to position the footrest in anon-extendable position, wherein said footrest is downwardly pivotablewhen in the non-extendable position; a support attached to theunderneath of the chair mounted to said support is a power mechanism; apower mechanism mounted to said support; an extendable frame having afirst end attached to said support and a second end which is proximal tothe exercise device, said frame extending from the underneath of thechair; an exercising device attached to the extendable frame for use bya user sitting in the seat of the chair when the frame is extended outfrom underneath of the seat of the chair; and an actuating mechanismcoupled to the power mechanism to slide the frame in or out from theunderneath of the seat of the chair, said actuating mechanism having alocking mechanism to secure the extendable frame in an extendableposition or a retractable position.
 2. An exercise recliner comprisingin combination: a chair having a back panel, a seat, arms, front legs,back legs, a pair of side panels, an open space beneath the seat, and afootrest having a top surface, an under surface, a top edge, a loweredge and two side edges, a footrest support structure that isselectively extendable to position to footrest in a forward position anda retractable to position the footrest in a non-extendable position,wherein said footrest is detachable when in the non-extendable position;a support attached to the underneath of the chair mounted to saidsupport is a power mechanism; •a power mechanism mounted to saidsupport; an extendable frame having a first end attached to said supportand a second end which is proximal to the exercise device, said frameextending from the underneath of the chair; an exercising deviceattached to the extendable frame for use by a user sitting in the seatof the chair when the frame is extended out from underneath of the seatof the chair; and an actuating mechanism coupled to the power mechanismto slide the frame in or out from the underneath of the seat of thechair, said actuating mechanism having a locking mechanism to secure theextendable frame in an extendable position or a retractable position. 3.An exercise recliner comprising in combination: a chair having a backpanel, a seat, arms, front legs, back legs, a pair of side panels, anopen space beneath the seat, and a footrest having a top surface, anunder surface, a top edge, a lower edge and two side edges, a footrestsupport structure that is selectively extendable to position to footrestin a forward position and a retractable to position the footrest in anon-extendable position, wherein said footrest is pivoted sidewardlywhen in the non-extendable position; a support attached to theunderneath of the chair mounted to said support is a power mechanism; apower mechanism mounted to said support; an extendable frame having afirst end attached to said support and a second end which is proximal tothe exercise device, said frame extending from the underneath of thechair; an exercising device attached to the extendable frame for use bya user sitting in the seat of the chair when the frame is extended outfrom underneath of the seat of the chair; and an actuating mechanismcoupled to the power mechanism to slide the frame in or out from theunderneath of the seat of the chair, said actuating mechanism having alocking mechanism to secure the extendable frame in an extendableposition or a retractable position.
 4. The exercise recliner of claim 1,wherein the uinder surface of the footrest acts as a stabilizingplatform for the exercise device.
 5. The exercise recliner of claim 1,wherein the extendable frame has a track assembly located along eachside of the chair, said track assembly having a fixed frame tubing witha smaller tube sliding therein.
 6. The exercise recliner of claim 5,wherein the extendable frame at its second end has a floor supportadapted to unfold so as to extend between the exercise device and anunderlying floor surface when the extendable frame is extended and tofold and retract within the underneath of the chair when the extendableframe is retracted.
 7. The exercise recliner of claim 6, wherein theexercise device is a pedaling system having a pair of pedals configuredfor rotational movement, a dampening mechanism adapted to adjustablyresist the rotational movement of the pair of pedals and a display unitto display the energy burned and distanced traveled by a user.
 8. Theexercise recliner of claim 7, wherein the chair is a substantiallyconventional upholstered recliner.
 9. The exercise recliner of claim 2,wherein the extendable frame has a track assembly located along eachside of the chair, said track assembly having a fixed frame tubing witha smaller tube sliding therein.
 10. The exercise recliner of claim 3,wherein the extendable frame has a track assembly located along eachside of the chair, said track assembly having a fixed frame tubing witha smaller tube sliding therein.
 11. The exercise recliner of claim 9,wherein the extendable frame at its second end has a floor supportadapted to unfold so as to extend between the exercise device and anunderlying floor surface when the extendable frame is extended and tofold and retract within the underneath of the chair when the extendableframe is retracted.
 12. The exercise recliner of claim 10, wherein theextendable frame at its second end has a floor support adapted to unfoldso as to extend between the exercise device and an underlying floorsurface when the extendable frame is extended and to fold and retractwithin the underneath of the chair when the extendable frame isretracted.
 13. The exercise recliner of claim 11, wherein the exercisedevice is a pedaling system having a pair of pedals configured forrotational movement, a dampening mechanism adapted to adjustably resistthe rotational movement of the pair of pedals and a display unit todisplay the energy burned and distanced traveled by a user.
 14. Theexercise recliner of claim 12, wherein the exercise device is a pedalingsystem having a pair of pedals configured for rotational movement, adampening mechanism adapted to adjustably resist the rotational movementof the pair of pedals and a display unit to display the energy burnedand distanced traveled by a user.
 15. The exercise recliner of claim 13,wherein the chair is a substantially conventional upholstered recliner.16. The exercise recliner of claim 14, wherein the chair is asubstantially conventional upholstered recliner.